-- The best: President-elect Barack Hussein Obama, a Senate approaching filibuster-proof, and a strenghthened House majority. The best possible outcome for the United States and the world, as far as I am concerned. As for my electoral prediction, I missed Indiana going blue but it looks like I got all the rest right.
-- Harris County Sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia, County Attorney-elect Vince Ryan, and County Clerk-elect Loren Jackson. Harris County Democrats won 30 of 35 county-wide contests including most of the judicials. I am taking great pleasure in specifically congratulating Judges-elect Al Bennett, Dion Ramos (he's Cubano like Mrs. Diddie), Larry Weiman, blogger Mike Englehart, Shawna Reagin, Steven Kirkland, and Robert Hinojosa. All of these new Democratic judges I have somehow managed to establish personal associations with (however brief and limited that may be). I anticipate they will serve the citizens of Harris County fairly, impartially, and with distinction.
-- Appeals court judge-elect Jim Sharp is a particularly sweet victory. Sharp is one of the good guys, and a real progressive we have now on the bench. Maybe the Texas Supreme Court one day, Jim?
-- New Democrats in the Texas House: Kristi Thibaut (insert big fat yahoo here), Diana Maldonado, Robert Miklos, Carols Kent and Alvarado, Chris Turner and Joe Moody. Re-elected Texas House Democrats: my very own Ellen Cohen, my old friend Valinda Bolton, Joe Heflin from Plainview, Paula Pierson, Donna Howard, Kirk England, Allen Vaught, and Hubert Vo. The Dallas-area Democrats again led the way with state legislative gains, including state Sen.-elect Wendy Davis.
-- And Bill Dingus getting 35% against Speaker Tom Craddick gets marked down as a real good thing.
-- Harris County Department of Education trustees-elect Deb Kerner (an old Meyerland Dem pal) and Jim Henley (with whom we celebrated late returns last night) are also gratifying wins.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The Good, the Bad,and the Ugly from yesterday: The BAD
-- Ed Emmett and Pat Lykos.
-- Good people who should have won (it's bad that they lost): Rick Noriega. Diane Trautman. Judicials Leslie Taylor (an early and strong supporter of David Van Os for Texas Attorney General in 2006), Martin Siegel, Mary Markantonis, Bert Moser, Susan Strawn, and Goodwille Pierre.
Statehouse Democratic candidates Sherrie Matula, Joe Montemayor, Sandra VuLe, and John McClelland. All had campaigns run by blogging/online associates and dear friends of mine; McClelland indeed is a prominent TPA blogger in his own right. Joe Jaworski. Ginny McDavid. Joel Redmond (49-51, a particular heartbreaker). Incumbents Juan Garcia and Dan Barrett, who won hard-fought victories just two years ago. Larry Hunter's somewhat overwhelming loss to Tuffy Hamilton was another one that stung.
And Glenn Melancon, one of the best progressive candidates on the ballot yesterday, overrun by that fossil Ralph Hall for TX-04.
-- Michael Skelly, who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and lost convincingly. He ran as fast as he could away from the Democratic Party, airing a teevee ad in the closing days denouncing all things "liberal". Dude, if you can't be proud to be a Democrat, then maybe you're in the wrong political party.
Being ashamed of being a liberal is sooooo 2004.
We all thought this contest was going to be close because of Skelly's dough. Like John Kerry, Borris Miles, Tony Sanchez and a raft of wealthy yet unprincipled Democrats before him, if you're not the right kind of guy, then your money is only going to matter to the consultants sniffing around for a payday.
Well, they got paid, and you lost big. I'm tired of hearing the same shit excuses; "Texas is a red state", "we can't overcome redistricting", yadda yadda yadda. Stand up and fight for Democratic values or just keep your money invested elsewhere ( I understand there are lots of great bargains in the stock market these days).
If you need to see an example of someone who fought hard even when when the odds were impossibly long, who put his own considerable bankroll to work for all Democrats and not just his own selfish ego, see Fred Baron.
-- Oh, and then there was Nick Lampson, who did the same thing and got the same result.
-- Good people who should have won (it's bad that they lost): Rick Noriega. Diane Trautman. Judicials Leslie Taylor (an early and strong supporter of David Van Os for Texas Attorney General in 2006), Martin Siegel, Mary Markantonis, Bert Moser, Susan Strawn, and Goodwille Pierre.
Statehouse Democratic candidates Sherrie Matula, Joe Montemayor, Sandra VuLe, and John McClelland. All had campaigns run by blogging/online associates and dear friends of mine; McClelland indeed is a prominent TPA blogger in his own right. Joe Jaworski. Ginny McDavid. Joel Redmond (49-51, a particular heartbreaker). Incumbents Juan Garcia and Dan Barrett, who won hard-fought victories just two years ago. Larry Hunter's somewhat overwhelming loss to Tuffy Hamilton was another one that stung.
And Glenn Melancon, one of the best progressive candidates on the ballot yesterday, overrun by that fossil Ralph Hall for TX-04.
-- Michael Skelly, who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and lost convincingly. He ran as fast as he could away from the Democratic Party, airing a teevee ad in the closing days denouncing all things "liberal". Dude, if you can't be proud to be a Democrat, then maybe you're in the wrong political party.
Being ashamed of being a liberal is sooooo 2004.
We all thought this contest was going to be close because of Skelly's dough. Like John Kerry, Borris Miles, Tony Sanchez and a raft of wealthy yet unprincipled Democrats before him, if you're not the right kind of guy, then your money is only going to matter to the consultants sniffing around for a payday.
Well, they got paid, and you lost big. I'm tired of hearing the same shit excuses; "Texas is a red state", "we can't overcome redistricting", yadda yadda yadda. Stand up and fight for Democratic values or just keep your money invested elsewhere ( I understand there are lots of great bargains in the stock market these days).
If you need to see an example of someone who fought hard even when when the odds were impossibly long, who put his own considerable bankroll to work for all Democrats and not just his own selfish ego, see Fred Baron.
-- Oh, and then there was Nick Lampson, who did the same thing and got the same result.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from yesterday: The UGLY
These are all fugly, actually:
-- John Cornyn, John Culberson, Paul Bettencourt, and Ted Olson.
-- Still no statewide Democrat. Mark Thompson and the Supremes -- Jordan, Houston, Yanez -- all came up just short.
-- Ugliest of all: Dominionist David Bradley is re-elected to the Texas State Board of Education.
-- John Cornyn, John Culberson, Paul Bettencourt, and Ted Olson.
-- Still no statewide Democrat. Mark Thompson and the Supremes -- Jordan, Houston, Yanez -- all came up just short.
-- Ugliest of all: Dominionist David Bradley is re-elected to the Texas State Board of Education.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Today.
6 a.m. -12 p.m.: Opening and working my polling place
3 p.m.- God only knows how long: Observing the county's returns at the Harris County admin bldg. downtown
Light posting until Wednesday, some time, with some opinions then about the results. Enjoy this video, courtesy Vince at Capitol Annex, for a recap of our primary and general election season here in Texas ...
3 p.m.- God only knows how long: Observing the county's returns at the Harris County admin bldg. downtown
Light posting until Wednesday, some time, with some opinions then about the results. Enjoy this video, courtesy Vince at Capitol Annex, for a recap of our primary and general election season here in Texas ...
Monday, November 03, 2008
EV 11/3: 353
This is how the map will look tomorrow (I'm predicting):
<p><strong>><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/electoral-college/'>Electoral College Prediction Map</a></strong> - Predict the winner of the general election. Use the map to experiment with winning combinations of states. Save your prediction and send it to friends.</p>
The race is close in traditionally red states like Montana, North Dakota, Georgia, and even McLame's Arizona, but it would be a rout if Obama captured any one of them. It could happen that way, I suppose; I just can't allow myself to dream that big.
Missouri and Indiana could still go Democratic, but I think it's incredible enough if North Carolina, pushed a little here at the end by the acrimoniousness of the Senate duel between Dole and Hagan, tips to azure (or Tar Heel powder blue, as the case may be). One out of those three certainly ain't bad.
But if you're still feeling a little nervous, click on Ohio and Florida above -- both still have numerous instances of voter suppression and machine irregularities being reported -- and then go on and click NC, too, to make all three of them red.
See? Obama still has 291. Turn out the lights; the party's just getting started.
The race is close in traditionally red states like Montana, North Dakota, Georgia, and even McLame's Arizona, but it would be a rout if Obama captured any one of them. It could happen that way, I suppose; I just can't allow myself to dream that big.
Missouri and Indiana could still go Democratic, but I think it's incredible enough if North Carolina, pushed a little here at the end by the acrimoniousness of the Senate duel between Dole and Hagan, tips to azure (or Tar Heel powder blue, as the case may be). One out of those three certainly ain't bad.
But if you're still feeling a little nervous, click on Ohio and Florida above -- both still have numerous instances of voter suppression and machine irregularities being reported -- and then go on and click NC, too, to make all three of them red.
See? Obama still has 291. Turn out the lights; the party's just getting started.
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